OK, I dumped the make-up water, washed out the barrel and let it dry. I have started making new RO water and will probably do a large water change once I have enough and it is all mixed.
I checked over the equipment and it was the heater. The glass was broken near the top and leached whatever metals that reacted with the salt water.
I hated to lose a new 200 watt heater, but I will recover as I hope the corals do. The fish, snails and crabs are all moving about. The zoanthids remain mostly closed but haven't turned to mush or anything else. I hope the water change will help.
Thanks for all of your help. BTW, I buy salt in 50 gal bags and seal tightly between uses. I have not seen any caking this way and they dissolve very rapidly. Two Coralia #3 pumps are in the barrel and really keep the water moving.
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